Antara, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto said that Indonesia, as a member of the G20, a gathering of many of the world's largest economies, must not let its people live miserably.
"In the northern coast of Java, the northern coast of Jakarta, there are people who live knee-deep in water," he said, Tuesday. "I'm committed to tackling this issue."
Thus, Prabowo believes the government does not hold the position of regulator, but also a protector. "We must protect those who live underprivileged, those who are weak and starving. We cannot achieve economic growth without eradicating poverty. That's why we need to support the trade and business sectors and provide job opportunities," he said.
Prabowo believed that Indonesia could achieve that prosperity, including increasing the tax ratio to 16 percent of GDP, like neighboring countries in the region such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Indonesia's current tax ratio is around 10 percent, which Prabowo claimed had "room for improvement".
Meanwhile, for future economic growth, Prabowo is optimistic that the economic growth rate can surpass eight percent.
"I estimate that in the next four or five years, we can increase economic growth to eight percent, maybe even more," Prabowo Subianto said.
Prabowo is the leading presidential candidate with over 58.82 percent, according to KPU's provisional vote recapitulation thus far.